Meerut: The authorities at PL Sharma district hospital in Meerut distributed rusks and fruits to the patients here, who have been deprived of food cooked in the in-house kitchen since Tuesday afternoon. At least 45 class four employees from here, including ward boys, sweepers and cooks, were sent for election duty on Tuesday and Wednesday.The hospital authorities had said that they were trying to get biscuits as an alternative. While nothing was served to them on Tuesday, rusks and fruits were distributed among the patients on Wednesday.Dr PK Bansal, superintendent-in-chief, PL Sharma district hospital, said, “Since there were no cooks to prepare their food on Wednesday because of the poll duty, we tried arranging for food from outside, but all we could get were rusks and fruits because majority of the shops were closed.”On Tuesday and Wednesday, around 140 people were admitted to the medical facility and around 90 of them are supposed to strictly have only hospital-cooked food. The remaining patients were either admitted to the emergency ward (where food is not served to patients) or have been allowed to have home-cooked meals.“The patients did not get any food after breakfast on Tuesday. It was only on Wednesday, that they were given rusks in the morning and fruits in the evening. It is surprising that the cooks were sent on poll duty despite the fact that health services are essential,” Bansal said.TOI had earlier reported that Bansal had claimed to have written to the authorities concerned to not send so many people from the hospital staff on poll duties, but his requests were not heeded. However, city magistrate MP Singh rubbished Bansal’s charge and said that no such requests were received.

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